The Macao Orchestra
The Macao Orchestra is a professional ensemble, organized under the auspices of the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government. In 1983, Father Áureo de Castro of the St. Pious X Academy of Music and a group of music lovers founded the Macao Chamber Orchestra. In 1984, it was incorporated into the Cultural Affairs Bureau (formerly the Cultural Institute of Macao), and benefited from a succession of musical directors: Stuart Bonner (1983-1984), Doming Lam (1984-1989) and Veiga Jardim (1989-1995). After some thoroughgoing reforms in 1995, it became the only professional orchestra in Macao, under the baton of Yuan Fang (1995-2000). In 2001, the Cultural Affairs Bureau of the Macao Special Administrative Region Government expanded the chamber orchestra into a medium-sized orchestra with double winds; it was renamed the Macao Orchestra in 2002 and En Shao became its first Music Director and Principal Conductor. The arrival of first-rate musicians from all over the world in 2003 and the “gala concert” in September of the same year marked a new chapter in the development of the Orchestra. Beginning in September 2008, Lü Jia has taken over as Music Director and Principal Conductor, once again marking a turning point in the Orchestra's history.
For the past twenty-odd years, the Macao Orchestra has played an important role in the musical life of Macao. Since 1989, the Orchestra has performed every year in the Macao International Music Festival (MIMF) and Macao Arts Festival (MAF), gradually becoming the nucleus of these two major cultural events. Since September 2003, the Orchestra has included several Concert Series in every season, presenting both Western and Chinese masterpieces in a comprehensive and systematic way, and thereby encouraging the pursuit of music among a broader public. Through its refined performance style and high quality concerts, the Orchestra has become a symbol of Macao’s prosperity as an international cultural city.
The Orchestra has worked with dozens of internationally renowned musicians and conductors, among them John Lill, Vladimir Feltsman, Boris Berezovsky, Tamás Vásáry, Nikolai Demidenko, Kun Woo Paik, Michel Dalberto, Fou Ts’ong, Lang Lang, Yundi Li, Chen Sa, Maria João Pires, Makoto Ozone, Pinchas Zukerman, Joshua Bell, Cho-Liang Lin, Antje Weithaas, Yu Lina, Li Chuanyun, Sarah Chang, Akiko Suwanai, Xue Wei, Qian Zhou, Huang Mengla, Ning Feng, Zhu Dan, Wang Jian, Qin Liwei, Hui He, Liao Changyong, Song Zuying, Zhang Liping, Zhang Jianyi, Jahja Ling, Erich Kunzel, Jacques Delacôte, Okko Kamu, Matthias Bamert, Edvard Tchivzhel, Lü Shao-chia, Tang Muhai, Chen Zuohuang, Chen Xieyang, Yip Wing-sie, Hu Yongyan, Zhang Guoyong, Yu Feng, Lam Bun-ching, Huang Anlun and Min Huifen.
In October 1997, the Orchestra was invited to perform two concerts at the 5th Chinese Arts Festival in Chengdu. In June 1999, it toured Portugal and Spain, performing eight concerts in five different cities. In the same year, the Orchestra participated in the 2nd Beijing International Music Festival and the 1st Shanghai International Arts Festival, where its performances were very well-received.
Since May 2005, the expanded Macao Orchestra has, in addition to frequent performances around the Pearl River Delta, toured eight times to Mainland China, performing thirty concerts in major cities across the country, such as Beijing, Tianjin, Xi’an, Shanghai, Chengdu, Chongqing, Kunming and Nanning. These performances included appearances in the 7th Shanghai International Arts Festival, the 8th China Arts Festival (Hubei Province), the National Center for the Performing Arts’ International Performance Season and the Shanghai Spring International Music Festival 2009. These tours caused quite a sensation. In playing a significant role in celebrations marking the 10th anniversary of Macao’s handover in 2009, the Macao Orchestra successfully presented its charms and strengths, becoming a cultural brand name of Macao in addition to vigorously promoting the achievements of cultural development made by the Macao SAR and the cultural image of Macao.
Dedicated to organizing activities related to arts education targeting audiences of different age groups, the Orchestra has provided a number of opportunities for local music students and local organizations to showcase their talents. In recent years, the Orchestra has organized a variety of activities in each concert season, including ‘School Concert’, ‘University Concert’, ‘Journey into the World of Music’, ‘Flourishing Arts’ and ‘Open Air Concert’, as well as this year’s newly introduced concert series, including ‘Family Concert’ and ‘Music in Kaleidoscope’, all of which have gradually help shape an integrated system of arts, education and promotion that embraces the high regard and continued care of the Macao SAR in enhancing the cultural quality of local residents, particularly teenagers.